E-Paper
‘F-16s for India better than those for Pak’
American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin on Monday assured India that the F-16s being offered to it would be “much more advanced” than the fighters provided to Pakistan.
American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin on Monday assured India that the F-16s being offered to it would be “much more advanced” than the fighters provided to Pakistan.
“I can assure you, the Super Viper is much more advanced in all aspects than
the F-16s being given to Pakistan,” Lockheed Martin's Vice President-Business Development (India) Orville Prins told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
The assurance comes in the wake of reports that India was concerned over US supplying a new set of F-16s to Pakistan, a decision which could be a crucial geopolitical factor when the Indian Air Force (IAF) decides on the USD 10 billion Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, described as ‘mother of all deals’.
“The F-16IN Super Viper will be more advanced than the F-16 Block 60 that were delivered to the UAE recently. The fighter jets being given to Pakistan by the US government are F-16 Block 50/52 aircraft,” Prins said here.
However, the official said he would not discuss anything more about the company’s dealings with Pakistan.
